1、1Unit 7 The Business WorldPart APre-listening TaskQuestions for Discussion1. What should be the major concerns of a business or a company?2. What makes a good employer? And what makes a good employee?3. How important are customers or clients to a business?4. What makes a successful business? 5. Supp
2、ose your job is to welcome visitors to your company. What will you do to make them feel comfortable and give them a good impression?6. Meetings at management level are held regularly in a company. What may be discussed at such a meeting? What is the role of the chairman of the meeting?Demo:6. Meetin
3、gs at management level are held regularly in a company. What may be discussed at such a meeting? What is the role of the chairman of the meeting?A wide range of business issues may be discussed at such meetings, such as decision making, business plans, finance, sales, new product development, staff
4、issues and public relations. A meeting may be held to share and evaluate certain information, consider decisions, and find solutions to problems on hand. Depending on the nature and the specific purpose of a meeting, the role of the chairman is primarily to facilitate effective communication among t
5、he participants on what to do, when to do it and by what means. Additional Question for DiscussionWhat are business ethics? Can you give some examples of ethical or unethical business practices?Demo:Business ethics deal with the right way and wrong way of doing business. Every day we can find a lot
6、of ethical as well as unethical business practices around us. A good example of an ethical practice would be for a business to go by the rules and live up to its own words. On the contrary, one of the most common unethical business practices would be not doing what one claims, as is often shown by t
7、he difference between attractive advertisements and low-quality products. Language FocusHere are some sentences and structures that you may find useful in discussing the above questions. The primary concern of a business is to make a profit. As the saying goes, the business of a business is business
8、. Companies should do what is right, not just what is profitable. A company should combine its concern for profit with a concern for the well-being of its customers. 2 A good employer treats employees more as equals than as subordinates / respects employees / knows the strengths and weaknesses of ea
9、ch employee / knows when to praise and when to criticize / is strict on discipline. A good employee has specialized knowledge and skill to do his or her job well / is a team player / is loyal to the company / is honest and hard-working / is creative and innovative. Customer satisfaction is essential
10、 not only to the success but also to the survival of a business. Only those businesses that have a genuine concern for customers can retain customers / have loyal customers / achieve and maintain an edge over competitors. The success of a business company depends on a strong leadership, good managem
11、ent, effective marketing, wise investment and an efficient workforce. We should greet visitors politely / direct visitors to the persons they want to see / do our best to make visitors feel at ease / be attentive to the needs of visitors / be ready to answer questions from visitors. Meetings are hel
12、d in a company to solve a problem or make a decision / discuss various topics such as products, sales and marketing strategies. The purpose of a business meeting may be to find ways to increase sales, to deal with a decline in profits, or to discuss how to improve the quality of the companys product
13、s or services. The chairman of a meeting should have a clear idea of what is to be achieved at the meeting / make the purpose and agenda of the meeting known to participants / invite comments from participants / encourage different views / conclude the meeting with a brief summary of what decisions
14、have been made at the meeting. A good chairman knows how to keep a meeting running on time and to the point.Part BListening TasksConversation 1Welcoming VisitorsWord Bankappropriate a. proper or suitable 合适的florist n. a person who has a store that sells flowers 花商campaign n. a planned set of activit
15、ies intended to achieve a particular aim 为某一目的开展的一系列活动Kenneth Johnson （男子姓名）Script:Kenneth: Hello, my name is Kenneth Johnson. I have an appointment with Mr. Andrew Song.Laura: Oh hello, Mr. Johnson, Im Laura Lee. Weve spoken on the phone a couple of times. Nice to meet you.Kenneth: Its nice to be h
16、ere.Laura: Oh let me take your coat.Kenneth: Thanks.Laura: Let me get you a drink, Mr. Johnson.3Kenneth: Yes, Id like a cup of tea, if possible, thanks.Laura: Sure. With milk or lemon?Kenneth: With lemon, please and sugar. Two spoons.Laura: Right.(Laura brings tea to Mr. Johnson.)Laura: Did you have
17、 a good trip?Kenneth: Absolutely no problems.Laura: Thats good. You flew, didnt you?Kenneth: Yes, thats right, and then I took a taxi down here from the airport.Laura: Oh, thats good. Kunming can be a little wet at this time of year youll have to come back in summer.Kenneth: Oh, Id like that. I alwa
18、ys like coming to China. Miss Lee, I wonder if I could send a fax from here. Its rather urgent.Laura: Yes, of course. Shall I show you to the machine or shall I take it?Kenneth: Oh, it would be better if you could take it heres the number.Laura: Fine. Would you like a newspaper to read or The Econom
19、ist?Kenneth: No, its okay I can prepare some work while Im waiting.Laura: Right, Ill get this off for you.Kenneth: Thanks. Oh one other thing. I need to send some flowers to my wife. Today is the fifth anniversary of our marriage. I think some flowers from your beautiful city would be rather appropr
20、iate, dont you?Laura: Oh, sure! Right, Ill get you a number of a florist. I expect youll want to send a special message with the flowers.Kenneth: Yes, Ill think of one.Laura: Oh, heres Mr. Song. Andrew, this is Mr. Johnson. Hes just arrived.Andrew: Hello, Mr. Johnson. Pleased to meet you and welcome
21、 here.Kenneth: Thanks.Andrew: Now shall we go inside and let me explain the program to you?Kenneth: Sure.Andrew: I think weve sent you an outline for the day if you agree, we could start with a video which explains some of our services and then we could have a look at a few reports on campaigns.Kenn
22、eth: Thatll be good.Language and Culture Notes1. Background informationThe personnel of a large company is composed of the CEO (chief executive officer) and senior executives (frequently members of the board of directors), departmental managers (who are in charge of various departments, such as sale
23、s department, production department), supervisors (responsible for the day-to-day work in offices), general staff and junior staff (secretaries and clerks). The running of a company covers a variety of areas including finance, marketing, human resources, information and customer relations. Major dec
24、isions concerning the manufacturing of a product, pricing, investment, the choice of a business partner, negotiation policies, etc., are usually reached at board meetings, which are held regularly. A 4staff meeting is held if a major change of company policy is to be announced.One of the routine job
25、s of a company is welcoming visitors, which is important in establishing good relationships with potential business partners, clients or customers. As visitors are in a new environment, they may feel ill at ease. It is the job of the receptionist or the secretary to make them feel relaxed and comfor
26、table. Attending to their personal needs and engaging them in small talk are effective ways to put them at ease. In the text, Laura Lee, who is most likely Mr. Andrew Songs secretary, does her best to make Kenneth Johnson comfortable.2. The Economista British weekly magazine of business news and opi
27、nions. Founded in 1843 by James Wilson, The Economist is widely regarded as one of the worlds best journals of its kind.3. Ill get this off for youIll send the fax for you4. Ill get you a number of a floristIll find a florists phone number for you5. an outline for the daya sketch of the activities f
28、or the day Exercise 1Listen to the conversation and write down answers to the following questions.1. Where are the speakers?In Mr. Andrew Songs office.2. What is the probable relationship between Andrew Song and Laura Lee?Boss and secretary.3. What is the purpose of Mr. Johnsons visit to Kunming?To
29、see Mr. Andrew Song on business.Exercise 2Listen to the conversation again and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.1. How well did Laura Lee know Mr. Johnson?a. He was a total stranger to her.b. She often talked to him on the phone.c. He was an old friend of hers.d. She had spoken to
30、him on the phone but had never met him before.2. How did Mr. Johnson like his tea?a. With milk and sugar.b. With lemon and sugar.c. With two slices of lemon.d. With milk and one lump of sugar.3. What did Laura do to help Mr. Johnson?a. She offered to send an urgent fax for him.b. She bought some pre
31、sents for his wife.c. She showed him where their fax machine was.d. She ordered some flowers from a local florist for him.54. Why did Mr. Johnson want to send some flowers to his wife that day?a. It was her birthday.b. It was their fifth wedding anniversary.c. It was the day they first met.d. It was
32、 their engagement day.5. What was Mr. Johnson going to do at the end of the conversation?a. Ask Mr. Song to explain some of their services.b. Talk to Mr. Song about the plan for the day.c. Watch a video.d. Discuss campaign plans with Mr. Song.Conversation 2At a Business MeetingWord Bankprofit n. mon
33、ey gained by business activity 赢利subsidiary n. a company which is owned by a parent company 子公司agenda n. items to be dealt with at a meeting 会议议程budget n. a plan showing how money is to be spent 预算static a. not moving or changing 静止的，不变的inflation n. a general continuous increase in prices in a count
34、ry 通货膨胀face up to to be brave enough to accept or deal with 勇敢地接受或对付in a nutshell stated in a very brief way that sums up the main points clearly 简括地说Sam Canning （男子姓名）Bernard （男子名）Script:Chairman: Okay, I think we should start now. Its ten oclock.Voices: Okay / Right / Yeah.Chairman: Well, were her
35、e today to look at some of the reasons for the decline in profits which has affected this subsidiary. Youve all seen the agenda. Id like to ask if anyone has any comments on it before we start.Voices: No / Its fine / No.Chairman: Right, well, can I ask Sam Canning, Chief Sales Executive, to open up
36、with his remarks?Sam: Thank you, Bernard. Well, I think we have to face up to several realities and what I have to say is in three parts and will take about twenty minutes.Chairman: Er, Sam we dont have much time its really your main points were most interested in.Jane: Yes. Can I ask one thing, Mr.
37、 Chairman? Isnt this a global problem in our market?Chairman: Sorry, Jane, I cant allow us to consider that question just yet. Well look at the global question later. Sam, sorry, please carry on.Sam: Well, the three points I want to make can be made in three sentences. First, sales are down, but onl
38、y by 5% more than for the group as a whole. Secondly, our budget for sales has been kept static it hasnt increased, not even with inflation, so were trying to do better than 6last year on less money. Thirdly Jane: Thats not exactly true Chairman: Jane, please. Let Sam finish.Sam: Thirdly, the produc
39、ts are getting old we need a new generation.Chairman: So let me summarize that. You say that sales are down but not by so much, that youve had less money to promote sales and that the products are old. Is that right?Sam: In a nutshell.Chairman: Does anyone have anything to add to that?Jane: Well, on
40、 the question of funding I have to disagree Language and Culture Notes1. a business meetingHere is probably a meeting of the chief executives or board of directors of a company. The essential elements of such a meeting are: a clear purpose, an agenda, the participants, the outcome of the meeting, an
41、d a report, which is usually the minutes taken down by the secretary. Copies of the agenda should be distributed to participants in advance so that they can get prepared for the meeting. The chairperson presides over the meeting, whose job is to direct the course of the meeting and ensure that it ac
42、hieves its aims. The chairperson may ask a speaker to keep to the point, or stop a participant from interrupting the speakers speech as Bernard does in the text.2. Chief Sales Executivea senior member of a company in charge of promoting the sales of the companys products3. face up to several realiti
43、esaccept and deal with certain harsh realities4. carry ongo on talking5. need a new generationneed to produce new products to replace the old onesExercise 1Listen to the conversation and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.1. What is the purpose of the meeting?a. To discuss the causes
44、 of the decline in sales.b. To discuss the causes of the decrease in profits.c. To discuss ways to promote sales.d. To discuss the funding policy of the company.2. What can be inferred from the discussion at the meeting?a. Jane disagrees with Sam as to how the company should spend money.b. Jane agre
45、es with Sam that inflation is one of the problems that cause the decline in sales.c. Sam doesnt think the sales department should be held responsible for the decline in profits.d. Sam thinks the best way to increase sales is to introduce a new generation of products.Exercise 27Listen to the conversa
46、tion again. Imagine you are taking the minutes and fill in the form below.Purpose of meeting: to discuss the causes of the decline in profitsTime: 10:00 a.m.Chair: BernardFirst Speaker: Sam CanningPosition: Chief Sales ExecutiveMain points of his talk:1. Sales are down but not by too much.2. The bud
47、get for sales hasnt increased even with inflation.3. The products are old.Speaking TasksPair WorkReflections on the textsYou have just heard two conversations about two routine tasks in a company: welcoming a visitor and having a meeting. How well do you think Laura, the secretary in the first conve
48、rsation, and Bernard, the chairman in the second, have done their jobs? What are the challenges of their jobs? Why are their jobs important? Exchange views with your partner. You may want to use the following questions as a guide to organize your thoughts.Guiding QuestionsFor “Welcoming Visitors”1.
49、Why is the job of welcoming visitors important?2. How well do you think Laura did her job?3. What qualities did she display in her interaction with Mr. Johnson?4. After greeting Mr. Johnson and bringing him a drink, Laura engaged in some small talk with him. Why do you think she did this?5. What else did Laura do to help Mr. Johnson? Were these things part of her duty?6. Do you think she has left a good impression on Mr. Johnson?For “At a Business Meeting”1. W
